The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is yet to receive the budgetary allocation approved for the conduct of the 2027 general elections, raising concerns over procurement timelines and early election preparations.
The disclosure was made by INEC National Commissioner for Voter Education and Publicity, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, during an interactive session organised in Abuja by the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) in collaboration with Legis360.
Haruna explained that although the commission has not received the allocated funds, it has continued preparations for the polls in line with the Electoral Act, 2026, which requires election funding to be released at least six months before the general elections.
INEC had earlier proposed about ₦873.78 billion for the 2027 electoral process, covering logistics, technology deployment and capital expenditure.
“We are still awaiting the release of funds, but preparations are ongoing,” he said.
The commissioner disclosed that INEC is already working on replacing and procuring Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and other election materials, some of which were damaged or not recovered from previous elections.
He noted that procurement processes involve international suppliers, making early funding critical due to exchange rate fluctuations and long production timelines.
Haruna also revealed that the commission plans to conduct mock presidential elections to test its technology systems ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, this is part of efforts to prevent a repeat of technical challenges experienced during the 2023 presidential election result transmission via the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
The INEC commissioner further highlighted that conflicting and last-minute court orders remain a major operational challenge.
He cited instances during the recent Ekiti governorship election where court directives issued close to election day forced emergency adjustments to software and election materials.
Haruna also confirmed that an electoral officer involved in the unauthorised disclosure of voter data had been suspended, adding that the matter has been referred to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) and security agencies for investigation.
He assured Nigerians that INEC maintains strict internal safeguards for voter information.
Speaking at the event, PAACA Executive Director, Ezenwa Nwagwu, called on the Federal Government and political stakeholders to ensure early release of election funds to avoid last-minute disruptions.
He warned that delays in funding often lead to procurement bottlenecks and undermine electoral credibility.
“When things are not done early, it creates room for shortcuts and compromises,” he said.
